Where there’s a will, there’s a way. So said poet George Herbert in the 1600s, and 400 years later, it is an aphorism that still holds true. When it comes to the will to gamble, there are more ways than ever, especially in the Canadian province of Ontario.
No way to stem the tide
The impact of technology on gambling has been profound. From casino games to sports betting to bingo, the internet brings instant 24/7 access to all the gambling activities people have been enjoying for years, plus plenty of new ones, too. The difficulty has sometimes been that online gambling has developed so fast that legal and regulatory systems have been unable to keep up.
Some, like the UK, have successfully expanded existing gambling regulations into cyberspace. Online providers are subject to the same rules and gamblers receive the same protection and assurances. Others, such as Australia, prohibit the operation of online gambling websites. The problem with the latter option is that the online gambling sites still exist and if they are hosted overseas, there is little that the Australian authorities can do to prevent Australians from visiting them. The Australian regulator has to date instructed its ISPs to block more than 300 gambling websites, but it seems an exercise in futility, as more appear every week.
Ontario moving with the times
Until recently, Canada followed the same approach as Australia. However, the genie was out of the bottle. Anyone who wants to already knows how to gamble online at any one of the many online casino platforms that are aimed at players in Canada. Market research suggested that Canadians were gambling billions of dollars online every year, despite online gambling being, in theory at least, prohibited.
Earlier this year Ontario lawmakers took the pragmatic approach of launching a licensing system for online casinos. They reasoned that people were going to gamble online anyway – where there’s a will there’s a way. Better they do so using platforms that meet Ontario licensing requirements. As well as protecting gamblers, it would generate welcome tax revenue.
Impressive financial results
Ontario’s online gambling regulator, iGaming Ontario, recently published the second set of quarterly results since online gambling launched at the beginning of April. The numbers indicate that Canadian gamblers can’t get enough of Canada’s new licensed online casinos and sports books.
The first quarter of operation saw gamblers place more than CN$4 billion in wagers, which generated about CN$105 million in revenue. The numbers were modest, but this was partly because only a handful of brands were licensed in the initial weeks. By the second quarter, more than 40 brands had been licensed and the handle (amount wagered) increased to CN$ 6 billion, with revenue up to CN$162 million.
Ontario is the only Canadian province to open up the gambling market in this way. The only other province that allows online gambling at all is Nova Scotia, which provincial online casino earlier this year. But given the positive results so far, the pressure will be on other provinces like Quebec to follow Ontario’s lead.
Disclaimer:
- As per the Public Gambling Act of 1867, all Indian states, except Goa, Daman and Sikkim, prohibit gambling
- Land-based casinos are legalized, with certain guidelines, in Goa and Daman, as per the Goa, Daman and Diu Public Gambling Act 1976
- Land-based casinos, Online gambling and E-gaming (games of chance) are legalized in Sikkim under the Sikkim Online Gaming (Regulation) Rules 2009
- Only some Indian states have legalized online/regular lotteries as per and subject to the conditions laid down by state laws. Kindly refer to the same here
- Horse racing and betting on horse racing, including online betting, is permitted only in a licensed premise in select states. Kindly refer to the 1996 Judgement by the Supreme Court Of India here and for more information
- This article does not endorse or express the views of Qrius and/or any of its staff.
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